After He Was Gone
by Aerysa
Summary: Prequel to The Hunt for BK201. Takes place after the anime series. Misaki x Hei pairing. Li-kun disappeared after that day and Misaki can't help wishing that he would come back...
1. Chapter 1

After watching Darker Than Black, I couldn't resist writing a fanfic for this series. I don't usually write fanfics and it's been a long while since the last one... I tried to keep it as close to original character as I could, but there are some of my own elements in there... It's mostly based on what I hoped to see between Misaki and Hei – or something like this. There just isn't enough interaction between them in the anime!

This story takes place after the ending of the anime series, so I suggest you don't read it unless you've watched the whole thing. Hope you enjoy it.

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**After He Was Gone – Chapter One**

BK-201. A Messier Code she would never forget.

Li Shengshun. A name she would never forget.

Misaki Kirihara sat at her desk in the shared office for Foreign Affairs, Section 4. It had all started the day the world had changed. Humanity now knew of the existence of the Contractors. Though it was her duty to investigate all matters that concerned Contractors, she was more interested in one specific Contractor. She had so many things to ask him...

Did they choose the same path? Which side was he on? Had he been laughing at her the entire time they had been together? After all, he knew who she was and what her duty had been. Yet he had been friendly as they laughed together – something she hadn't done in a long time. Was he using her or was that actually part of who he was?

She realized that she knew nothing about him at all. But that was why she wanted to see him again. He had disappeared that fateful day; after saving her yet again. He was unlike any other Contractor she had ever come in contact with and she knew a number of them. Why did he even save her to begin with? The rational thing to do would have been to kill Horai and her on that day...

"Chief!"

"Hm? What is it?" she asked, snapping out of her daydream.

"Are you okay? You look pale and right now, there isn't much to do. I could finish up for you here if you would like to go home and rest. We need you to be in top condition."

"I... I might just do that. Thank you, Saito. I know I can count on you."

Her officer nodded as she packed up her belongings. He only showed his concern in such a verbal fashion when they were alone. He was a loyal officer and she was grateful to have him on her team. If it weren't for him, she would have been killed in their encounter with Wei Zhijun. Saito had first saved her, before BK-201 had saved them both.

As she quietly let herself out of the office, she sighed softly. It didn't seem to matter what she did. It always led back to one thing – Li-kun. Where did he go? How was he doing? Though he had been labelled as the most dangerous Contractor out there, she had never been frightened by him. On the contrary, he had used his powers to help her.

She sighed again as she made her way to her car. She understood Saito's concern, but it wasn't something she could tell anyone. Kanami might have noticed something the day they met Li-kun shopping. But that was before she realized that he was BK-201. That fact alone changed everything. For someone sworn to protect the weak, she was obsessed with someone – no, a Contractor – who could potentially hurt them all.

When she got home, she did what she always did. First, she would take a shower. Then, she would pull out her special files that contained all the data she could get from Kanami regarding BK-201. She had inquired about it once, but he was inactive and they didn't know anything more at the Astronomy division.

All they could tell her was that his star was still there. She supposed that it gave her some satisfaction; to know that he was still alive and safe, assumed by the fact that he didn't use his powers. But it wasn't enough for her. She wanted to see it with her own two eyes that he was alright.

Standing under the steady stream of hot water, Misaki sighed again. This was getting nowhere. A shower usually the only time that she could relax, he was even taking over this part of her life. She was frustrated! And she had every right to be. She had never felt this powerless before. Though she could do everything in her power to help those victimized by criminal Contractors, who was going to help her?

As if it weren't enough that he haunted her waking moments, he tormented her in her sleep. She couldn't forget the day they had spent together, in hopes for a glimpse of the real stars. She had laughed so much that day, until her sides had hurt. And the peaceful calm there had been as they sat together under the blanket of darkness, until she had been called away for duty...

Squatting on the floor of her shower, she let the water beat down on her as she tried to calm her jittery nerves. She was sent home early to rest, not have a mental breakdown. Forcefully pushing thoughts of him to the back of her mind, she slowly took in deep breaths of air. November 11 had told her to trust her instincts and her instincts told her that they would meet again someday. Until then, she needed to remain cool and collected, just like she always had been.

When she finally felt more stable than she had been all week, she turned off the water and grabbed her towel. Thinking of November 11, she missed him, surprisingly. She had been hurt by the fact that he had gone and got himself killed; he had been a good person. After all, he had been the one to give her guidance during their investigation.

Instead of tormenting herself more, she decided to forgo the usual perusal of data on BK-201. Part of the problem was that she was putting herself through this. She was unable to let go. As a result, she had combed through the data on a daily basis, hoping for a clue of where he might be – not that she ever came up with anything useful. It was all old data.

Since Saito was covering for her, it was better to put this extra time to good use like he suggested. After her hair was dry, she would go straight to bed and sleep. If she wasn't refreshed and ready for the new day ahead of her, Saito was going to want to know why. That was something she rather keep to herself; not that he would question her if she could come up with something valid. He wasn't the smartest, but she depended on his loyalty – a redeeming quality.

***

"Wait. Where are you?" she muttered.

Hei stood watching from the corner of the room as she tossed in her sleep. She was having a nightmare and he was curious to know what it was about. Even so, despite his Contractor powers, that was not a skill he possessed. The only thing he had been able to do was keep an eye on her from afar.

He had left Yin by herself, but she knew how to reach him if he was needed. For now, he would indulge himself by staying to watch as Misaki rested. He should stay away. He knew that. His Contractor side knew that. But he was both human and Contractor. When it came to her, it seemed that his human heart outweighed his Contractor mind.

Cautiously, he made his way closer to her side. The blinds were open just enough to let him see her. But he didn't want to wake her. Dressed as BK-201, it would be difficult for her to see him dressed from head to toe in black. Not to mention, she would need her glasses.

"Where are you?" she asked again.

As he glanced down at her, it was to see that she was frowning in her sleep. She was going to get wrinkles if she kept that up. Very slowly, he reached out his hand and gently placed it on her forehead. Her features relaxed from the touch, but she didn't awaken. Ever so slightly, he touched the back of his fingers to her cheek.

"Mm... Li... kun..."

Hei stiffened as he heard her call out his name – his alias he had been using when he was pretending to be a foreign exchange student from China. She was dreaming about him? How was he supposed to leave her now? But the Contractor side of him won out. He had been a Contractor for much longer. Not to mention, the rationale behind staying away was much stronger than any reason to stay. He had to protect her.

It was too dangerous to do this again. Yin would be suspicious if he disappeared too often – not that they were on missions. But he knew; it would be a long while before he saw her again and even then, it would be from afar. Though he knew he had to leave, his humanness rebelled against the thought, refusing unless he did something memorable.

Kneeling by her bedside, he braced himself with a hand on her headboard. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. His heart was beating madly when he pulled away, terrified that her eyes would be open, staring at him. They weren't. Instead, she was smiling ever so slightly and snuggled deeper underneath the covers.

"Good-bye Misaki..." he whispered before he left with this memory to keep him moving forward.


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you for the reviews! I was worried no one would read it... This is kind of a longer chapter, but I hope you enjoy it ^^

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**After He Was Gone – Chapter Two  
**

"Good morning."

"Chief! Good morning. Did something happen?"

"What do you mean?" Misaki asked Kono.

"You're smiling and you never smile..."

"Shut up!" Saito exclaimed. "Go sit down already."

"I'm smiling?" Misaki asked in reply. "I didn't know that."

Kono and Saito stared at her like she had grown another head. Even so, she didn't understand why they were overreacting. She didn't _always_ smile, but it wasn't like it never happened. Besides, she was feeling surprisingly refreshed after that extra sleep last night. She felt like she could take on anything, a feeling she remembered having when she first joined the force.

"Do you think she hit her head on something? I mean, Chief is sick and not acting normal..."

"I heard that," Misaki snapped as Kono and Saito were whispering by the door. "Get to work or I have no need for you on my team."

They both grinned and nodded as they took their seats. To Misaki, it seemed that they were the ones who had injured themselves. Usually, they were cowering when she was upset with them. Now they were grinning to themselves...

Maybe it was time to get a psychiatric assessment for them if this kept up. She didn't want anyone unstable on their team. She hoped that wouldn't be the case. Though they made poor choices at times, they were both hard workers.

***

"Yin. Did you find anything?"

His partner shook her head in reply. He sat down on the couch as he tried to think of something. He had previously asked Yin to keep an eye out for any surveillance spectres. There was no news regarding the Syndicate, which meant that they were still in danger. They had only been connected to the Syndicate through Huang and he was dead. They weren't going to take it lightly that he had foiled their plans.

Unknowingly, he had been helping the enemy. But now that he knew, he planned to hunt them down and make them pay for what they did to Bai and Amber and all Contractors out there. It wasn't an easy task and it could take him his entire lifetime to get a start, but he couldn't forgive them. If he didn't take them out, they would continue to hunt for him _and_ Yin.

Hei turned to look out the window as his thoughts shifted to his tie to the human world. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't be having this problem. She was the only one who could identify BK-201 as the former Li Shengshun. But as he left her that day, the thought never entered his mind; to save her and then to kill her himself... That was absurd.

"Hei."

"What is it? Did you find something?" he asked without turning to look at her.

"No. You're acting suspicious again."

"Why do you say that?"

"You're staring out the window," she answered.

He wanted to sigh as he turned to look at her, but that would really give him away. It was odd. He was a human Contractor and she was a human Doll. Now that Mao and Huang were both gone, he found that his partner talked a lot more – a lot more considering she hardly said a word in the past, even when addressed directly.

"I'm just frustrated," he told her. "We aren't getting anywhere and we don't even have anyone to ask for help. At least before, the four of us were together and Huang had contact with the Syndicate."

To this, she nodded her head in agreement. They knew Huang would cover for them and what it had entailed. What had surprised him the most afterwards was the fact that Yin had shed tears for their lost comrades. It was funny how his Contractor half took control in situations like that. The only time he truly felt human was when he thought of Misaki.

"Get some rest," he said. "We'll think of something tomorrow."

For a second time, she nodded and left the room. This left Hei to his own thoughts again. Though they had essentially disappeared from everyone's radar, they were still in Tokyo. After operating here with the city as their base, he felt comfortable. But he shouldn't get too comfortable. He wouldn't get the chance to stay as long as he would like.

It wasn't that he didn't have a plan. After all, the Syndicate had eyes everywhere. It was the fact that it would force them to be on the run and he didn't like that; mostly because of Misaki, but also because of Yin. If they found him, it wouldn't be hard to get rid of her. The two people in his life now who he had to protect at all costs...

Flopping over to lie down on the couch, he wondered what Bai would say if she knew about his dilemma. He was torn between the stand he had to take as a Contractor and the feelings he had as a human. Amber was right to say that it was the hardest choice of the three, but he couldn't imagine what things would be like after any of the others.

***

"Mi-sa-ki!"

"Oh, hi Kanami. What are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you weren't allowed to leave."

"Oh, please... Unlike you, I'm not a workaholic. It's after hours. I knew you would be here, all by your lonesome self, so I decided to drop by for a visit."

"There's a lot of work to be done," she stated in her own defence.

"No there isn't, "Kanami retorted. "We work on the same cases and there's definitely no drastic problem right now that even Kono couldn't handle. Now come; we're going for supper – my treat."

"Your treat? What's going on?"

"I'm bribing you," Kanami answered with a laugh.

"This doesn't sound good at all..."

***

As she waited for her friend at the ladies' change room, Misaki knew it wasn't a good thing if Kanami was bribing her. She always wanted to go shopping on their rare day free. With a sigh, she looked around the department store. They even had to come to the exact same store where she had spotted Li-kun shopping for his friend's girlfriend.

She couldn't believe she had asked him if he was actually shopping for himself... She was such a dunce sometimes. If Kanami could hear her thoughts right now, she would be a laughingstock. But she couldn't help it. The Li-kun she had known was somewhat shy, but easy to get along with and he made her laugh, something most people had never seen her do.

Surprisingly, she found that he didn't bother her in her dreams anymore. Because of it, she was able to rest easy. A slight blush crept into her cheeks as she wondered if that dream had anything to do with it. Quickly pushing it out of her mind, she cleared her throat and started browsing through the nearest rack. It was unseemly to behave as she was about to moments ago.

"Wow, you're actually shopping," Kanami teased her moments later. "You are a woman after all..."

"Stop it... Are you finished now?"

"Are you kidding me? I just started!" she exclaimed. "And yes, you're coming with me. It's very unladylike to roll your eyes."

To show her friend what she thought of that, she rolled her eyes again. It was just her luck that she had to go shopping for the entire day. Kanami's bribe didn't even make up for half the torture she was going through. With all this time on her hands doing nothing, it was easy to find her thoughts turning to Li-kun. At least she could keep her mind occupied when she was busy at work.

It was well into the afternoon before Kanami gave in to her cries for mercy. Instead of shopping, they decided to have an early supper. In the end, she had purchased a few items, mostly with Kanami's urging. She didn't even know where she would wear them to; 90% of her time was spent at work, the other 10% for sleep.

They separated ways after supper as Misaki declined her friend's offer for a ride home. It was nice out and she wanted to take a walk. Not to mention, she realized that they were actually close to where Li-kun had been staying. It was bad for her heart to continually reminisce about him, but she couldn't help it.

On a quiet evening like this, she was reminded of gazing at the stars, not that they were visible yet. It was also times like these that she allowed herself to indulge in the girlish fantasies. Alone with only her thoughts, she was just Misaki Kirihara. Not the Section Chief or a policewoman, but just Misaki. It would have been the perfect evening for a date and she could imagine herself walking hand-in-hand with him.

As she stood staring up at the building he had called home, she could hear his former neighbours laughing as they chatted. A quick glance at her watch told her that it was still early, but it sounded like they were on their way to a drunken state. He wasn't the type, not to mention that he had a dual persona... Misaki couldn't imagine him joining in with this crowd.

Her gaze traveled even higher towards the sky. It was a corny thought, but she was somewhat relieved by the fact that they lived under the same sky. A flicker of movement from her periphery caught her attention. It seemed liked she was always chasing as she had a moment of déjà vu while her body moved of its own accord. Could it be him? Was he still in Tokyo, despite what she had heard?

Her heart was beating rapidly in her chest as she pushed her legs to travel faster. She turned the corner, hoping to see him, but the street was empty. She stopped running. Was she hallucinating just because she wanted to see him that badly? If her phone rang, calling her away, she was going to think that time had somehow rewound itself, forcing her to relive this moment of emptiness.

"Don't move."

Misaki froze as she felt something push against her back. She shouldn't have come here. Even if she was a cop, she was off-duty and she was still a woman. Despite her training, she didn't honestly think that she could overpower a man, unless she could find a way to surprise him. It was evening, so if she shouted and cried for help, people would be home... But it was as if her thoughts were read because she found her mouth covered a second later.

_Don't panic,_ she told herself, usually very calm. _Just think._

She stayed still, just as her assailant had instructed. Instead, she tried to look around, though he was behind her. Glancing at the arm connected to the hand over her mouth, something about it felt familiar like she had seen it before. It took her a second to realize why. It looked exactly like the jacket Li-kun was wearing when he was BK-201...

"Li-kun," she said as she freed her mouth from his hand, turning her head and hoping for a glimpse of him.

"I told you not to move."

He was going to kill her now? He actually sounded angry as she felt the object behind her poke even harder into her back. She quickly turned back to the front and closed her eyes, anxiously waiting for what happened next. If he electrocuted her, she knew it would be a quick death. Did he purposely come back to eliminate her, now that Horai was in custody?

Nothing prepared her for what happened next. She wasn't electrocuted. Instead, his arm wrapped around her waist and she felt her back press against his chest. When she tried to turn her head a second time, it was to find his face next to hers as he held her close. So he wasn't going to kill her? What was he doing here anyways?

"You're going out..." she said sadly. "You aren't going to kill me?"

He didn't reply and Misaki closed her eyes, gently placing her hand on his arm. Something wasn't right, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was. Not that she hadn't dreamed of this moment, yet he shouldn't be here. He wasn't even supposed to be in Tokyo anymore... She wasn't even sure what he wanted from her. All she could do was give his arm an encouraging squeeze.

"Let me see you," she said.

"Misaki..."

She blushed at the way he said her name, so closely to her ear. Always, he had only called her Kirihara-san in the past. Before she could say another word, he was gone. All that she was left with was the whisper of his voice in her ear and the feel of his jacket as he pulled away from her. She knew, but she had to turn around to actually see that he was truly gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Once again, thank you for the reviews. It's been a long time since I've written a fanfic, so I hope I don't disappoint anyone ^^;;

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**After He Was Gone – Chapter Three  
**

"Have you found them yet?"

"No."

"Keep looking. But don't strain yourself. I need you," Hei said.

Yin nodded in reply. She was still looking for the ones sent to kill them. Briefly, she had connected and saw them, but they had disappeared. Knowing that the inevitable was upon them, Hei had decided to see her one more time. It was their good-bye. This was for her sake, just as much as it was for his. She seemed to understand the implications.

Even so, he couldn't let her look at him. He wouldn't be able to let her go otherwise and that would be the biggest mistake of his life. To protect her, he had to stay away. That was all there was to it. If the Syndicate knew about her, they wouldn't hesitate to use her against him and he could never live with himself if anything happened to her.

It wasn't enough, but it had to be enough. Every time he came in contact with her, it made it that much more difficult to leave her alone. But he didn't know who was watching. He would have to be more careful. He had two sides to take care of: Yin as his partner and Misaki as his tie to humanity. Finally, he sighed softly before he went to lie down.

_No mistakes. No mistakes,_ he repeated to himself over and over.

Before the night was over, he had to smother his human heart and regain complete control as a Contractor. It would be the only way to survive.

***

"Chief, what's wrong?"

"I'm fine. Just get me Ishizaki-san."

Saito nodded before he dialled in the number to contact Otsuka. Misaki couldn't explain to him how she knew, but she knew. It was a gut feeling that something was going to happen to Li-kun. She needed all the help she could get when it came to tracking him. Only Kanami could help her now.

"It's Otsuka-san."

"Thank you," Misaki replied, taking the phone from him.

"_What is it, Chief?"_

"Otsuka, I need you to find Ishizaki-san for me. I need to talk to her right away."

"_Okay..."_

"_Ishizaki here. What is it?" _she asked a moment later.

"Are there any movements from BK-201?" Misaki inquired.

"_No."_

"Make sure you keep an eye on him."

"_Misaki?"_ her friend asked. _"What's wrong? You sound tense."_

"I can't explain it to you, but I have a feeling something is going to happen soon. And I want you to tell me the moment it does – regardless of what time it is or where I am. Can you do that for me?"

"_Yes, of course. You know I will."_

"Thank you. Please don't ask how I know."

"_Okay... Take care of yourself."_

"Will do. Bye."

Misaki hung up the phone and sighed in relief. She was thankful that Kanami trusted her with this. After the incident with November 11, she had learned to trust any hunches or gut instincts she had and at the moment, they all told her something big was going to happen to Li-kun. He wouldn't have shown up to see her otherwise.

"Chief, what was that about?"

"Saito, I want you and Kono to be on call. Anything can happen at any moment and we need to be ready."

"Yes, understood!" he exclaimed.

He left the room to inform his partner of the new orders. Misaki sat back down feeling nauseous. All she could do was pray that he would be okay, despite all the indications that something was wrong. She didn't know how she could help him, if that was even possible, but she would do everything she could.

***

Glancing around everywhere she went, Misaki felt like a paranoid stalker. In a city so large, it would be impossible to find him without help. But that didn't stop her from looking for him and anyone who might want to harm him. There was no way to detect a Contractor and they looked like all humans did. She knew that. She just couldn't help worrying about him.

She wanted to see him and have him hold her close again. It was contrary to what her job required, but she couldn't ignore it. Just like he wasn't able to kill her, she wasn't able to arrest him. Her phone began vibrating in her pocket and she nearly jumped a foot in the air, startled by it.

"Hello?"

"_Misaki? What's wrong with you? You sound jumpy,"_ Kanami commented.

"I'm fine. It just startled me when the phone rang."

"_Oh... Well, nothing has happened all week. Are you positive something is going to happen?"_

"Yes, I'm 100% positive. I know it sounds weird," Misaki replied. "But it's important. I just know. I just don't know when."

"_Okay. I know we've been after BK-201 for a while now, but don't stress yourself out. We all need you."_

"I know. I'll talk to you later."

"_Okay, see you,"_ Kanami said. _"Get some rest while nothing's happening."_

"I know..."

Misaki hung up the phone and sighed. She _was _jumpy. The thought that something would happen to Li-kun terrified her. If someone was after him, they would have to be Contractors and she could do absolutely nothing to help him. Besides her, she didn't even know if he had anyone else to help him.

***

"Yin, where are they?"

"In Ueno."

"Good. Keep an eye on them," Hei instructed. "It all starts tonight."

"Be careful..."

"I will."

Yin pulled him close for a hug before she let him leave. It all came down to this... This was only the start of their fight. He had been surprised it had taken them this long to find him. Even if he had purposely been lying low, he thought they would have found him much sooner than this. With Yin's help, he would lure them out, just as they had planned.

***

Misaki was home, staring at the BK-201 files in front of her. They didn't even have a photograph of him. No one, besides her, knew what his civilian alias was. She could have said something earlier, but with all the lies and deception around her, she didn't trust anyone but herself with that information. If she told the wrong person, she would be helping the very people who tried to kill him to begin with.

Where was he? That question continually ran through her mind. Even if he was a strong Contractor, he wasn't invincible. He could get hurt like any Contractor did and he could also die, like other Contractors did...

_Misaki, get a hold of yourself!_

The phone rang a moment later and she tensed when she saw that it was Kanami. Taking a deep breath, she finally picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"_Misaki, you were right,"_ she said, ignoring the formalities._ "BK-201 is active along with a couple others."_

"Where?"

"_Shinjuku Gyoen, North end. We can't pinpoint him exactly since he keeps moving."_

"I'm on my way. Tell me as I drive," Misaki stated.

"_At first, we noticed a small vibration in the Tokyo area, but it didn't correlate to anything. Even so, I had an eye kept on his star. Now it's vibrating like crazy. I don't know what's going on, but it doesn't look good."_

"Got it. I'll let you know once everything is okay."

"_Okay. Do you want me to inform Saito and Kono?"_ Kanami inquired.

"I can do that. Thanks."

After hanging up, Misaki shoved the phone into her pocket. Saito and Kono could wait. She had to get to Li-kun first. She flipped on her police light and drove to the park as fast as her car could take her. Luckily, she hadn't changed yet, though she would have ran out in her pyjamas if it were necessary. By the time she got there, she flipped off her light, just in case, to find that it was completely dark.

North end, she had said. If he was continually on the move, she didn't know how far they could be. It seemed like they were there, judging from the environment. BK-201 controlled electricity and he did use the darkness to his advantage. All she could do now was slowly move forward and keep her eyes open for any signs of him.


	4. Chapter 4

**After He Was Gone – Chapter Four**

**  
** Hei ducked in time to feel the tail end of the air blast fly past him. It hit the tree behind him, shattering it into a thousand pieces. The Syndicate sure didn't fight fair as he was attacked on the other side by another air blast – from the second enemy. But of course they wouldn't. They were trying to kill him after all.

Despite the vision disadvantage, both of them seemed to be doing just fine. They could pinpoint his location in the dark. They must have been purposely trained for the sake of hunting him down. He was stuck on the defensive as both were unrelenting in their attacks. He needed a plan and he needed one quick. If he could just take out one, it would be a piece of cake to take out the other.

He had purposely picked this place because not many people travelled by. He knew that because he had Yin surveillance the area all week. But they didn't know what types of powers they had and now he realized he had a disadvantage. They blasted through the trees, which meant he had no coverage to hide behind.

There had to be a limit to their power, even if they did train. By now, they had to be getting tired. All he had to do was take out the weaker one first. As he dodged, he concentrated his thoughts on find the weaker of the two. They were smart; keeping separate to attack on both sides. But there was a flaw in the fact that they could only hit in one direction.

He realized that they only aimed in his general direction because they couldn't control the movement of their power. Using his wire, he pulled himself up into the tree. Waiting, the tree shattered beneath his feet a moment later. He launched himself up through the debris toward the center between them. When he was about to land, he positioned his body to recoil like a spring.

At the same time that he was travelling up, he threw his blade; a second later sending out the wave of electricity to accompany it. He didn't miss his mark. The man seemed stunned, but he was dead before he even hit the ground. He had enough time to dodge the other attack. Since he had only been retreating before, they had been confused when he switched into the offensive mode.

He was about to attack again when he sensed something nearby. Distracted momentarily, he barely escaped the last attack and a fragment of the broken tree sliced across his upper arm. Not wasting any time despite the injury, Hei rushed head first towards him. He took the bait. Easily dodging it, he circled around him, simultaneously throwing his blade the second time. A blast of electricity knocked him dead like his comrade.

For now, there were only two. Next time, he didn't know how many there would be or what types of powers they might have. For tonight, it was safe again. He could sense her in the vicinity, the reason why he had hastened to kill the second man. No matter what, they couldn't find out about her.

***

Misaki crept through the garden as quietly as possible. The further in she had moved, the more noise she heard which was what she had been following. She thought she had seen a spark of light, but it disappeared so quickly. She wasn't used to going in alone. Her heartbeat sounded extra loud in her ears, now that she couldn't hear anything else.

A hand touched her shoulder and she turned around in surprise. She could hardly see anything. The same hand pressed for her to put away her weapon and she realized that it was Li-kun. How did he even know she was here? What happened to the others? Kanami had stated that there had been others with him.

"Misaki, what are you doing here?" he asked in a hushed whisper as he pulled her close.

"I was looking for you. I knew something was going to happen."

"You shouldn't be here."

"How can I not?" she retorted. "You're in danger..."

He sighed as he tightened his hold on her. How precious she was to him; that she would willingly put herself at risk for his sake. But she couldn't help and he couldn't risk it. He had to protect her the only way he knew how...

"Yin," he called out.

"Yes?"

"Make sure no one is around. Let me know if there is."

"Okay," came her response.

"Misaki," Hei said. "Come with me. We need to talk, but not here."

Before she could respond, he picked her up and all she could do was wrap her arms around his neck. She wasn't sure what he meant when he said not here. There was no one else around. They would be too spooked to enter the park anyways.

She couldn't tell how far they had moved, but eventually, he set her down by the trunk of a tree. She felt, more than saw, him kneel down beside her as he took her hands in his. Even so, he didn't say anything. She tightened her grip on him, relieved that he was alive and relatively unharmed from what she could sense.

"Li-kun, what is it?" she finally asked.

"It's Hei."

"Hm?"

"Hei, my codename," he replied. "I told you before that Li-kun doesn't exist anymore."

"Then Hei, what are you doing here? I heard you were gone."

"I was hiding, but I will be gone soon."

"I don't understand," she replied in confusion.

"There's a lot I need to tell you," he answered, touching his palm to her cheek. "Will you listen?"

Misaki nodded in reply. She would listen to anything and everything about him.

"I'm not only a Contractor, but I'm human too. My sister Bai. I had been searching for her the entire time. But when she passed on, I inherited her powers. I was part of the Syndicate, but they were trying to take out all Contractors. Bai found out, which is what she had been fighting against along with Amber or February as you might know her. Now that I betrayed them, the Syndicate is trying to kill me and Yin."

"Is that who those were?" she asked, a shiver of fear running down her spine.

"Yes."

Pulling her close once again, Hei wrapped his arms around her. Out of everything he had ever done, he thought this was the hardest thing he had to do. She was already so close... But he knew better than that. He was just reluctant to let her go. It was the first time he had ever felt this way; the first time he had allowed himself to explore his humanness and now he was going to lose that chance.

"Hei?" she asked, wrapping her arms around him.

"I never expected you to be here. But now that you are, I have to say good-bye – again."

"No... Why can't you stay?"

"Didn't you listen to what I said? The Syndicate is trying to kill me," he repeated. "If I stay here, everyone will be in trouble – especially you."

"But where will you go?"

"I don't know."

"Hei..."

"Don't do this," Hei pleaded. "I don't want to leave you either, but I can't put you in danger."

"But..."

He did what he had to and kissed her. To have her bargaining with him over a life and death situation, her life and death situation, was something he couldn't stand to hear. She didn't resist him, instead wrapping her arms around his neck. If he had only this one moment, he would use it to show her exactly how much she meant to him.

He gentled his kiss and took his time, savouring the moment; the feel of her lips against his; the way her fingers played with his hair; the weight of her on his lap. His arms held her as close to him as physically possible. She sighed against his lips and he pulled away.

"Hei..." Yin called out to him.

He was running out of time.

"Misaki, listen to me," he said, putting both hands to her face. "And listen to me carefully. If there's only one thing I want you to know, it's this. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Thank you. I have to go."

"When will we meet again?" she called out as he was already walking away from her.

"After I eliminate the Syndicate."

She heard a sound like something flying in the wind... And he was gone. If she wasn't already sitting, she would have collapsed to the ground beneath her feet. As she touched her fingers to her lips, she felt the tears well up in her eyes – such a bittersweet good-bye. She understood it all too well, his words. They would never meet again. The Syndicate was a global conglomeration, much too large for him to eliminate...

***

**A/N:** Last chapter! I hope I didn't disappoint anyone with how the story ends... Of course I thought it'd be totally sweet and totally awesome if they really got together, but considering how much danger Hei is in at the end... I just don't see it happening. But at least, I wanted to see more happen between the two of them :P The fight scene was probably kinda lame since I'm not the greatest at that type of scene and yah... I hope you enjoyed it!

Stay tuned for the seqeul~ I got an idea for a continuation thanks to Dear4Life's comment! Now I just need to work on the story itself ^^


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